The SUNY Potsdam women’s hockey team enters the 2014-15 campaign after one of the most successful seasons in program history. The Bears reached the playoffs for the third consecutive year and fourth time in five seasons. At 12-10-4 overall and 7-5-4 in the ECAC West, the team matched records for overall and conference victories. Potsdam also had two of its players nationally recognized. Freshman forward Jordan Ott (Hilton, N.Y./Rochester Edge) was named the ECAC West’s Rookie of the Week eight teams before being named U.S. College Hockey Online’s Division III Rookie of the Year. Graduating defenseman Brittany Lucky(Kanata, Ontario/Ottawa Senators) earned All-USCHO second team honors.
Graduation has left the Bears with some holes to fill. Potsdam will look to compensate for the losses of players ranking third through sixth on its all-time scoring list in Jessica Silveira (35g-48a-83pts.),Brittany Lucky (16-44-60), Jenn Crawford (27-26-53) and Amanda Lucky (18-30-48).
As usual, the Bears will not be lacking for leadership. Senior forward Izzy Fayerman (Calgary, Alberta/The Edge) retains her captaincy this season and is joined by co-captain and junior forward Sally Mooney (New Dayton, Ohio/Wyoming Seminary). Junior defenseman Katie Marsman (Wantagh, N.Y./Wyoming Seminary) and junior Abby Tardelli (Potsdam, N.Y./North Country Ice Storm), who was the ECAC West’s All-Rookie goalie last year, will serve as assistant captains.
Forward
Ott, Fayerman and Mooney return to lead a young Bears’ offense. Ott set the program’s single-season record for goals with 22 and overall points for 36, which she shared with Silveira. Ott scored the first goal in the newly renovated Maxcy Ice Arena last season and never looked back. Fayerman had another solid season for Potsdam with eight goals and six assists for 14 points in 24 games. Injuries limited Mooney to just 10 games and six points (1-5-6) last year after being named the team’s Rookie of the Year the previous season. Mooney is now healthy and ready to break out in 2014-15.
Junior Natasha Allen (Aspen, Colo./Ontario Hockey Academy) and sophomores Amanda Peterson (West Chazy, N.Y./Chazy Flyers) and Roberta Beatty (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan/Ontario Hockey Academy) are the only other returning forwards for Potsdam. Allen has played in every one of the Bears 52 games in her two seasons with the program. Peterson had a strong freshman campaign with three goals and five assists for eight points, while seeing time in all 26 games last year. Beatty saw time in 20 contests last season and scored her first career goal against Utica on the final day of the regular season.
Four new faces join the Bears offense this year. Junior Karley Cree(Hogansburg, N.Y./Salmon River) highlights the newcomers after transferring from SUNY Canton. Cree scored 12 goals and recorded 12 assists for 24 points and was the Kangaroos second leading scorer in 2013-14. Five of her points (3-2-5) came at Potsdam’s expense. The three other additions are freshman. Jaci Morr (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) makes the trek from Michigan and was also the leading scorer for the Bears’ women’s soccer team this fall. Anna-Rose Bertin (Marathon, Ontario/Canadian International Hockey Academy) and Brenna Wilson (Kanata, Ontario/Ottawa Senators) make their way across the St. Lawrence River from Ontario.
Defense
Marsman and sophomore Kaylen Van Wagner (Red Hook, N.Y./Hotchkiss Prep) are back to anchor Potsdam on the blue line. The duo was rare among Bears defenseman in that they were able to stay healthy enough to play in every game last season. They are joined by fellow returnees in junior Rachel Grefke (Livonia, Mich./Victory Honda) and sophomore Emily Kriwox (Tupper Lake, N.Y./Tupper Lake). Grefke totaled three assists in all 26 games last season, while Kriwox played in 24 games. Potsdam native and sophomore Kady Hart (Potsdam, N.Y./Potsdam Ice Storm) and freshman Manitoban Lynette Kryminski (Cross Lake, Manitoba/Norman Wild) make their Bears debuts this season.
Goal
Junior Alexane Rodrigue (Monkland, Ontario/Bemidji State) and Tardelli will be back between the pipes this season, giving Potsdam one of the most experienced tandems in the conference. They are joined by freshman Brianna Fiddler (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Scanlon Creek). Rodrigue had a strong start to her Bears career with a 10-4-4 mark, .906 save percentage, and a 2.95 goals-against-average. She also notched two shutouts. Tardelli (2-6, .890 sv. %, 3.82 g.a.a., one shutout) played better and better as the season wore on and earned a postseason start for Potsdam.
Schedule
The Bears will face the usual difficult conference schedule, which includes four games against the last two national champions in Plattsburgh and Elmira. Potsdam will also face first year program William Smith on Nov. 15-16. The Bears will host New England College on Dec. 13-14 in the first meetings between the two teams. Potsdam renews nonconference rivalries with Castleton on Jan. 6and Hamilton on Jan. 13 at Maxcy Ice Arena. They will travel to Middlebury on Jan. 27 to face the powerful Panthers for the first time in five seasons. The Bears head to Saint Michael’s on Jan. 30and wrap up the regular season with a nonconference matchup with Route 11 rival Canton on Feb. 21.
The Bears open the season this Friday when they host the Buffalo State Bengals at 7 p.m. in the first game of a two-game series.
